I have the greatest privilege of being associated with Native cultures of many continents.. thus satisfying my curiosity and desire to travel and the chance to help them with my medical expertise. these notes are from those travels. I am a professor at the University of Havana

dimanche 25 juin 2017

Morning has woken up in Narita, where the major airport of Tokyo is situated.Yesterday I flew the 11 hour flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo. It went so smoothly (turbulence during the last part of the flight) and I was not bored. There was wi fi on board and thus I was able to keep in touch with people that keep in touch with me. (I am not on any social media)The Flight Attendants were polite to a tee, extremely friendly but kept their distances. I had chosen the Japanese meal and it was served prompted and without any hurry or delay. here is a summary of photographs of this delightful trip from Los Angeles USA to Narita, Tokyo, Japan

The journey itself begins at the Qantas Airways Lounge at LAX, it is said to be one of the nicest lounges in all of USA.

The security checking went quickly enough but cant say it was very efficient.

I was happy that they were able to give me my favourite seat 1 K so that I can esconce myself for the next 11 hours.

The photos of the food are not presented in any special order but they were given in a specific order which kind of tickled your tonsils like they say in Australia.

I do not know much about Sake so the FA chose this one for me

As the flight was nearing Japan, I requested the appetizer plate from the Western menu and at any time of the day or night I am ready for a piece of salmon!

The morning has broken over Narita and I shall get ready for my next flight, also on JL and I am sure I will choose a Japanese menu..

jeudi 22 juin 2017

MY
love affair with Iran seems to have been born with me, as I can always remember
a time when I felt fond of Iran. Stories told when I was a child perhaps helped
it.

Seven
years ago, a new friend entered my life and truly deposited so much knowledge
about Iranian culture and I am truly grateful.

Lately
there have been a flurry of communications and I am grateful for the Internet
to facilitate this rapid communications with Iran

Just
one example:

I
was talking to a friend in southwestern part of Iran, when she mentioned the
name of a novel, which she had loved very much. She had read it in translation.
Sure enough within a week a copy arrived from Amazon.com.

A
fraction of the whole by Steve Toltz had been short listed for Man Booker
Prize. The author is Jewish and the setting is Australia, and there is a French
element to it. I couldn’t believe the coincidence! And the author now lives in
New York!

When
I began reading the book, which I plan to carry with me on this forthcoming trip
to Asia, I was fascinated with the various connections mentioned in the book,
ethos of an era in Australia that I was also a part of, and I found it
fascinating.

So
when another friend of mine from Teheran asked for a recommendation for a book to
read, I had no suggestion which book I should suggest and she sent me a cover
photo of the book in its Persian translation.

The
world is smaller; Internet has made it easier to communicate with Iran, the
most intelligent of all nations in the Middle East outside of Israel.

We,
the Jews and Israelis, would be your best friends, I tell my Iranian friends.

dimanche 18 juin 2017

VOICES
FROM CUBA 16 JUNE AND THE EMPTY BOTTLE THAT MAKES TOO MUCH NOISE

Trump
announced some noises to the gracious changes by Obama to the failed Cuba
policy of the previous presidents. In front of a group of the most conservative
of Cuban Americans he shouted loudly about the changes but when you look at it,
the only change, apart from the tone of Mr. Trump, is that American Citizens
cannot visit Cuba as tourists, a prohibition which has been in place since
1962!

It might
be of comfort to him to know that Raul Castro is far more popular among the
Cubans than he is among Americans and that Cubans are extraordinarily patriotic
about their countries, and this unwise move only strengthen their resolve.

Dear friends,
You may have heard of the rhetoric of Trump and his Cuban-American friends in
Miami about the relationship with Cuba.
First, it was all noise and very little substance. Not much has changed to
the extent that most of us are worried and also the people there who are renting
houses or having private restaurants or cafes.
I can not think of any of the people I know affected by this. The flights
and cruises would be allowed, so there would be more people going on cruises
than on flights, maybe.
I will continue to fly American Airlines, take my friend Yodel's taxi, have my
mulata at David's Cafe, have my dinner at La Dolce Vita and drink my Pina
Colada at CubaPasion, and stay at my favorite place to stay in
Havana . None of this is illegal.
Trump restrictions would affect people coming for tourism ONLY, it will be
illegal to stay in government run hotels (they are terrible anyway), eat at
restaurants run by the government (can you think of any that is good ?) Or
rent a car? (For most people it's not a problem) or fly Cubana (not a big
problem to avoid as I have not flown Cubana since 2006)
Sending money to Cuba is not affected, so the Rum and the cigars are not
affected, there would be more Internet and telephone services, tourists can
still enter into GROUPS (are two a group?)
I was worried if I would stop the flights or close the embassy or stop the
money transmission or allow the Cubans to migrate illegally. (Injuste law or
ajuste law?) Has made it more difficult for Cubans to migrate now.
In general, please do not worry, nothing in your life is going to change in any
way
Let's celebrate together, with a little meal, wines, and conversations ..
things that most Americans do not have and do not put EMBARGO of our emotions
so strong and pure and affectionate ..

Cuba has only one enemy The Cuban American fascists of Miami, they now have
their fascist representative!

Cuba has better public health
services than for the non-rich Americans, an average American does not have
access to education to the quality and level as in Cuba. Cuba is far more
educated country than America, as a whole, with large proportion of people having
university education and post graduate education.

When Bush Senior invaded Iraq he
thought he would be welcomed by the Iraqi citizens that did not happen. The Cuban
citizens did not welcome the announcements by Trump and his fascist allies. The
failed mercenaries of the Playa Giron invasion and their descendants who lasted
not even 3 days in Cuban soil, must be rocking in their chairs with mirth at
the rebirth of this failed policy and looking for employment in the Anti-Cuba
industry which is known to exist in Miami.

Replies began arriving, and I will
highlight the enthusiasm, patriotism and revolutionary fervor of a 22-year-old
medical student.

. Envy, much encompasses,
but does not squeeze, that is, people who live speaking and making false
accusations of the republic of Cuba, will not get anything, because the love
and affection that prevails in us Cubans is stronger than The black force
that opposes us. The key is unity and good feelings, positivity, harmony,
peace, patriotism, brotherhood, brotherhood and unconditional support to the
most needed. Who support the blockade of Cuba and who participate in the
most absurd ideas proposed and implemented to unbalance our government,
nothing, but nothing can be against us because we are a people with a huge
heart, with enormous strength, with a huge spirit of Patriotism. In my
personal opinion, there is no force capable of crushing all that we have
achieved, or of messing up the legacy left to us by our martyrs, our eternal
Fidel. The more obstacles put our
territory, but my sentiments, I am a young revolutionary, but my desire to
defend my country grows, I have the conviction that my country, my country, I
never abandon it, neither for anything nor for anyone. I do not know how there
are still people who are so ungrateful. They lend to the game of changing
the country for only a little money. Our country would not exchange it for all
the gold in the world, because I owe a lot, because I am enormously grateful. I
follow your ideas, I love the letter you sent and I admire because even
without being Cuban you defend and advocate for Cuba as if you were part of our
country, although for me, you are already, welcome to this revolution forged by
worthy men, to this revolution where you breathe purity, harmony, peace and
good feelings Welcome to this homeland that will thank you for the good
thoughts you have about her, for your courage in defending her. Today, you are
not only an Australian, you are not an American, for me you have a better name,
a better nationality. Will be Cuba, our richisland A huge kiss for
you.I'm happy to hear your wise words.very very happy

Thank you for your
nice words about our Cuba and what a pity for those who are blind and do not
see the reality of the world today. What a most absurd, hegemonic and
absolutely disrespectful position of Trump and his Cuban American servants.
Long live our beautiful and revolutionary Cuba.

In an article published in the prestigious medical Journal, New England Journal of medicine, on 8 june 2017, it states:

The southern poverty law centre has documented an increase in incidents of harassment and hateful intimidation since Trump's election. It quotes: a large proportion of US adults are stressed by the current political environment. two thirds of all adults surveyed said they were stressed about the future of USA.

samedi 17 juin 2017

I
left Havana on a night of that familiar downpours where the sky and the
landscape become inseparable, my faithful friend and driver, guiding his 1958
Chevrolet Belair down to the arrivals at the International Airport Jose Marti
in Havana, he didn’t want me to get wet, since the departures area had an open
area exposed to the elements.

14th
June 2017

I
was sitting in the living room of the Blue House, reminding me of the important
parts of my itinerant life left behind in various countries and continents.

I
am with the UmonHon Indians, from here I go to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and
Siem Reap in Cambodia and Doha in Qatar and then on to France: all places where
pieces of my heart are in the care of various people, of course my absence away
from Cuba is justified by the fact that I will be talking about Cuba to the
people in those countries, who are not as closed minded as many in the country
to the North.

Siem Reap Cambodia with my brother.

(at the Blue House among the Indians in the USA)

Today
is the BIRTHDAY of Ernesto Che Guevara de la Sarna Lynch.

I
sent the following letter to my friends in Cuba, those whom I was missing
terribly even though I was with less than a few days ago!

My
love for Cuba had begun long before I was in the Western Hemisphere. I was
still attending school in Australia when I heard about Fidel Castro and Che
Guevara. Che's romance remained with me, as was Fidel's revolutionary zeal.
Even in the Faculty of Medicine, I used to have a book about Che or a book of
poems by Pablo Neruda with my white coat!

Che
was an integral part of my life; we now regret and celebrate his death in
Bolivia in 1967. I made a pilgrimage to all the places associated with Che in
Argentina and Bolivia, and on this day I greet his courage, his integrity, his
love for the people of Cuba, its revolutionary fervor and its eternal legacy.

I ALSO HAVE A GREAT MEMORY OF THE CHE, AN EARLY MEMORIAL IN MY 10
YEARS OF AGE TO THE FOOTHILL OF THE UNIV LEVEL SCALINATE, I WAS WITH MY MOTHER
RELEASED DOVES, I HAD ONLY 9 OR 10 YEARS. AND LIVED VERY CLOSE, AND AT TIMES
RAN INTO EACH OTHER, AND I WENT TO GREET HIM AND I WAS OVERWEIGHT X ASTHMA AND
MEDICINES, AS WAS HE AND HE WAS UP AND JOKES AND ASKED ME? DO YOU HAVE 2 FOOD RATION
BOOKS? WE LAUGHED AND I TOLD HIM NO. I HAVE
4 LATER HE WAS KILLED AND IT WAS A SUNNY SUNRISE ON THE PLAZA, FULLY FILLED AND
WHEN A CLARIN GAVE THE TOUCH OF SILENCE NOBODY SAID ANYTHNG AND I SAW GROWN MEN
WHOTEARS RUNNING DOWN THEIR CHEEKS

Good Morning. With much affection and love we have received your
beautiful words about our Che and Fidel. For us they are the ones who built our
present and the light of the future, and those who inspired and morally
inspired the peoples to their emancipatory conquests. You are our friend and
family, now confirmed it, and we establish eternal bonds.

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Welcome to Cuba, Welcome to My World and Yours as well

Ever since I was a child, I have lived in two countries at a time and the countries changed: Brunei, Australia, Sweden, USA, England, Jamaica, various places in the USA..Now Cuba and USA with a definite commitment to the North American Indians (Los Indios)..

For a period, 2001-2014, there were numerous visits to Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar.Hope you enjoy reading my emotional outpourings, written on the road.. from a lover of Cuban Mind and Affections inside the island and the innocence of the Indigenous peoples..

We live with great expectation that the new rapprochement with the Govt of President Obama, will bring more changes, intellectual and cross cultural contacts and a broadening of the minds on both sides of the Straits.

I highly recommend that you come to visit CUBA now..

Qui êtes-vous ?

Ever since being a Medical Student and Trainee Doctor in Melbourne, London and Miami, I have been involved in Interantional Medicine . Currently I am associated with the excellent Peer to Peer Network for Diabetes care in Cambodia, Mo Po Tsyo, www.mopotsyo.org.
Also with the help of my good friends in Bogor, Indonesia we hope to do something similar but in a much smaller scale.
It is easy to tell you what I am: an Endocrinologist and a Medical Anthropologist, engaged in both fields.
Cuba, Miami and American Indians are the worlds that usually I rotate around. in the occident and Cambodia and Indonesia in the orient.